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endennis@endscore.comCopyright 20112011-09-25T19:48:43+00:00Gear Live Mediasports,football,basketball,nfl,baseball,mlb,news,dan,devone,end,score,video,nba,gear,liveSports & Recreation/ProfessionalSports & Recreation/College & High Schooldennis@endscore.comAndru EdwardsAndru Edwardsnosports,football,basketball,nfl,baseball,mlb,news,dan,devone,end,score,video,nba,gear,liveEnd Score Looks At The World of SportsDan Devone hosts a sports show for the every man. With a fresh approach, The End Score Report guides viewers through the news in the sports world, offering a unique view and honest approach. Sit back, relax, and let Dan tell you how it is.endscorehttps://feedburner.google.comEndScore Report: NFL Week 3 Predictionshttp://feeds.gearlive.com/~r/endscore/~3/RH6VFh5UNEQ/
NFL

Justin Verlander’s getting all of the attention for the AL Cy Young award, and rightly so, but getting overlooked in the discussion is the work of teammate and closer Jose Valverde, who has converted all 47 save attempts this season. In fact, Valverde has earned a save in 13 of Verlander’s 24 victories this season. Put an average closer in place of Valverde and just how many wins do you think Verlander would have instead?

As so many fine hockey players have this summer, Mike Modano is officially retiring from the NHL. However, he first had to finish with his latest contract – a one-day deal with the Dallas Stars valued at $999,999, which provided a sense of closure to the former number 9 and fans of the franchise all around, as Modano spent 20 of his 21 NHL seasons in the Minnesota/Dallas organization. Modano will go down as one of – if not the greatest American-born player in NHL history.

To say the geographical situation in the NHL is less than desirable would be an understatement. With the move of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg (to play as the Winnipeg Jets) means that the Jets will have some of the most arduous travel schedule in history, but NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman thinks he has a solution to the problem, and he’ll spend the next two and a half months reviewing the situation.

Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla got out for his team’s first on-ice practice at training camp on Saturday, and less than 30 minutes later, he was back in the dressing room. Iginla complained of back spasms, which have sidelined the all-star winger since. He said that this is something that he’s battled with throughout his career, but has played through it for the most part during the season. For him, who has been in the NHL for 15 years, this is only training camp.

NHL training camps opened up on Friday, with hundreds of players across the league reporting in for physicals. Most of the time, this isn’t news, other than the obvious heralding of a new NHL season underway, but the situation with the Los Angeles Kings’ inability to sign restricted free agent defenseman Drew Doughty has reached a boiling point.

The New York Islanders announced today that they’ve locked up former first-overall draft pick and current fan favorite John Tavares to a six-year, $33 million contract. The deal kicks in next summer when Tavares’ entry level contract expires. This is great news for the fans of the Islanders, but the real question is how the heck can the franchise afford a deal as expensive as this one?

In this edition of EndScore Report, DV and Chris put on their predicting hats and take a look around the NFL, picking the winners of each division, the respective conferences' wild cards, and finally the Super Bowl champions. Can the Green Bay Packers repeat? Will the New England Patriots make it back to postseason nirvana? How about the Philadelphia Eagles fulfilling the "dream team" tag. Give this edition of EndScore Report a listen to hear what we think... and we're kind of NFL geniuses, so LISTEN UP.

]]>2011-09-10T19:26:39+00:00Andru Edwardshttp://sports.gearlive.com/sports/article/q107-endscore-report-2011-12-nfl-predictions/Alex Ovechkin ready to be a leaderhttp://feeds.gearlive.com/~r/endscore/~3/o8DSwIN3tus/
Athletes, NHL

“I can’t be fat,” said Alex Ovechkin on Tuesday in response to accusations that he’s out of shape with only a week left before training camp begins. Ovechkin claims he’s on a new workout regimen that he’s unwilling to share because it’s his secret and nobody else’s. That’s fine for him, but the fact that he’s expected to be a leader to his Washington Capitals teammates means that there shouldn’t even be a question about his physical health.

]]>2011-09-07T17:23:25+00:00Andru Edwardshttp://sports.gearlive.com/sports/article/q107-alex-ovechkin-ready-to-be-a-leader/Re-vamped Panthers ready to take over Floridahttp://feeds.gearlive.com/~r/endscore/~3/Ke3hD30Ta0w/
Athletes, NHL

The Florida Panthers were the hottest team at last year’s trade deadline, practically giving away their entire roster – finally admitting that the plan wasn’t working and attempting to get younger and cheaper in a hurry. They’ve been out of the playoffs for over a decade and wholesale changes may be just what they need to become a contender in the Eastern Conference. At least that’s what General Manager Dale Tallon hopes for.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dustin McGowan was activated off the 60-day disabled list. He was only on that list because MLB doesn’t have a 1,000-day DL. McGowan has been out of the majors for more than three years. During that time, he’s had three surgeries; two on the rotator cuff in his throwing arm and another for a knee injury. Combined with several other setbacks, many thought his short major league career was prematurely finished.

When the MLB non-waiver trade deadline passes, virtually every player in the league is put on waivers. Most of them go unnoticed as players get through or teams pull players back into the fold. However, reports that the San Francisco Giants have claimed San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell is making headlines all over the blogosphere. The Giants and Padres now have two days to complete a trade, or else Bell will be forced to play out the rest of the season in a Padres uniform.

]]>2011-08-25T06:34:06+00:00Andru Edwardshttp://sports.gearlive.com/sports/article/q107-san-francisco-giants-claim-heath-bell-on-waivers-from-san-diego-padres/Curtis Granderson leading New York Yankees to the postseasonhttp://feeds.gearlive.com/~r/endscore/~3/4bNkn8qRXVc/
Athletes, MLB

For the past five seasons, anybody watching Curtis Granderson would know that he’s capable of doing something great anytime he steps up to the plate. He’s proving them right this season. Granderson is having a career year with the New York Yankees, and even if it ended today, you would have to give him serious consideration for the American League MVP award. Granderson has already broken several personal bests and is on pace to break several more.

]]>2011-08-23T08:16:47+00:00Andru Edwardshttp://sports.gearlive.com/sports/article/q107-endscore-report-how-good-is-eli-manning/New York Yankees’ Jorge Posada may not be ready for retirementhttp://feeds.gearlive.com/~r/endscore/~3/6pjk0FkK-Fc/
Athletes, MLB

The anti-storybook season of Jorge Posada became more interesting this week. Not only did the veteran New York Yankees player celebrate his 40th birthday by striking out looking to end and lose a 5-4 game to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, he also announced that he’s considering playing in 2012. The most interesting part is that there’s a better chance that no pitcher will go down with another arm injury ever again than the Yankees signing Posada one more time.

Now that Dan Uggla has gone hitless for once, can we please remember that the Atlanta Braves are in a playoff race? As everybody must know, Uggla went 0-for-3 against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday to snap his consecutive games with a hit streak at 33, but with all the attention Uggla’s been getting over the last month and a half, you wouldn’t know that the Braves currently have a four-game lead over the San Francisco Giants for the NL wild card.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been a playoff contender for years, and after missing the postseason last year, they’re back in the mix in 2011, trailing the Texas Rangers by four games in the AL West with 41 games left on the schedule, 10 of which are against those same boys from Arlington. They’ll play a four-game series this week and then a three-gamer on the last weekend of the month. Then, and we can only hope the division is still to be decided, the two teams will close out the season with three more games against each other.

]]>2011-08-15T16:17:41+00:00Andru Edwardshttp://sports.gearlive.com/sports/article/q107-los-angeles-angels-and-texas-rangers-push-for-postseason/Carolina Hurricanes tweak roster hoping to get back to playoffshttp://feeds.gearlive.com/~r/endscore/~3/oMcJSgQujHw/
Athletes, NHL

The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006. Since then, it’s been almost exclusive misery for the fans and team in Raleigh. The Hurricanes have failed to make the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. In that fifth season, they finished sixth and won two seven-game series before bowing out of the Conference Final in four games. This season, Carolina hopes that a few roster tweaks will mean the difference between a playoff berth and early tee times on the golf courses.

]]>2011-08-12T15:16:54+00:00Andru Edwardshttp://sports.gearlive.com/sports/article/q107-carolina-hurricanes-tweak-roster-hoping-to-get-back-to-playoffs/Jose Bautista and Mark Teixeira heating up in the home run racehttp://feeds.gearlive.com/~r/endscore/~3/OVrZ61dcOqE/
Athletes, MLB

The home run race has been tight all season long, and right now, the Toronto Blue Jays' Jose Bautista clings to a one-homer lead over Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees. Bautista is the reigning home run king, and he and Teixeira have a comfortable lead over the rest of the pack in baseball. Bautista has had trouble getting the ball out of the park lately, while Teixeira has been hitting them with ease, so it’s not unrealistic to think we may soon have a new leader soon. If Teixeira can hold the lead for longer than a day, he’ll be the first person to do that to Bautista in over a year.

In recent seasons, we’ve seen Stanley Cup rosters disband (if not explode) during the summer months. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost a good handful of players after their run, while seemingly half of the Chicago Blackhawks roster was spread out among the league after they won. The Boston Bruins are looking to try the opposite, as most of the members of the 2011 Stanley Cup winners are back, which many think will give them the upper hand in their road to repeat.

With the invites of Owen Nolan and Todd Fedoruk to training camp, the Vancouver Canucks are trying to address some issues that stopped them from completing a successful road to the Stanley Cup last season. They fell one game short of the coveted prize, but many believe they were lucky to be anywhere close to that with the way their postseason was so up and down.

The San Francisco Giants have been anything but worthy defenders of their World Series championship lately. They’ve lost more than they have won lately and have seen a somewhat comfortable lead in the NL West over the Arizona Diamondbacks shrink to a mere half game. The latest insult came on Thursday night when Cliff Lee – who last pitched against the Giants as a member of the Texas Rangers in the Fall Classic – shut them down and kept them off the scoreboard, handing them their ninth loss in 14 games.

]]>2011-07-31T01:26:39+00:00Andru Edwardshttp://sports.gearlive.com/sports/article/q107-endscore-report-in-your-face-arizona-cardinals-and-brett-favre/Gear Live MediaAndru EdwardsnonadultEnd Score Looks At The World of Sports